How to Pronounce Venustraphobia
Definition, meaning, and phonetic spelling
Venustraphobia Pronunciation
veh-NUS-trah-FOH-bee-ah
Stressed syllable in ALL CAPS · hyphens separate syllables
Syllable Breakdown
veh
NUS
stress here
trah
FOH
stress here
bee
ah
6 syllables
What is Venustraphobia?
An irrational fear of beautiful women, which can cause extreme anxiety, avoidance, or freezing in the presence of conventionally attractive females. Also sometimes called caligynephobia, it often has roots in social anxiety or past rejection.
Questions About Venustraphobia
How do you pronounce venustraphobia?
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Venustraphobia is pronounced veh-NUS-trah-FOH-bee-ah. Start with "veh" (like the letter V), then stress the second part "NUS" (rhymes with "bus"), follow with "trah" (like "trough"), then "FOH" (rhymes with "go"), and end with "bee-ah" (like "bee" plus "uh").
Which syllable gets the stress in venustraphobia?
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The stress falls on the second syllable: ve-NUS-trah-foh-bee-ah. A common mistake is stressing the third syllable instead, but the correct emphasis is on "NUS."
How many syllables does venustraphobia have?
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Venustraphobia has five syllables: ve-NUS-trah-FOH-bee-ah. Breaking it into chunks like this makes it much easier to say correctly.
What does the word part 'Venus' mean in venustraphobia?
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Venus comes from the Roman goddess of beauty and love, so "Venus" in this word refers to beauty or attractive appearance. The word parts combine to literally mean "fear of beautiful women."
What does the word part 'phobia' mean?
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Phobia comes from the Greek word meaning "fear of" or "extreme fear." You'll see it in many other fear-related terms like claustrophobia (fear of small spaces) and arachnophobia (fear of spiders).
What is a simple way to explain what venustraphobia means?
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Venustraphobia is an intense, irrational fear of attractive women. In everyday language, you might simply call it an extreme anxiety triggered by being around conventionally beautiful females.
Is there another medical term for venustraphobia?
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Yes, caligynephobia is another medical term for the same fear. Both words describe the same phobia but come from different root words—venustraphobia uses the "Venus" root, while caligynephobia uses a different Greek origin.
How would you use venustraphobia in a sentence?
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Here's an example: "The psychologist explained that her patient's venustraphobia was causing him to avoid social situations." This shows how the word might appear in a medical or educational context.